A week in Corfu

29 Jun 2017

I love Greece. I have done ever since I first went, aged 9. We started in Athens and then went to the island Skiathos. My sister, aged 5, famously declared she didn’t understand how the Acropolis could be really old when it ‘wasn’t finished yet’. We missed our ferry and got stranded. I ate baklava on a coach trip and thought it was the best thing I had ever tasted.

You get the gist; Kate’s a fan of Greece.

So I was pretty darn excited when, a few weeks back, I finished work for the day and headed out into the torrential rain wearing a sun hat for a mosey on down to the Hilton hotel at Gatwick airport where we had a wild Thursday night. Lol, jokes, we went to Giraffe and watched the ITV leader’s debate.
And then we were greeted with a delightful 4:30 alarm the next morning.

Fast forward through a Pret croissant, a three hour flight, an oh-they’ve lost-our-luggage moment and a nerve wracking drive/battle through Corfu’s questionable highway code, we arrived at a rather sexy looking villa clinging onto the hillside. We stayed near Agios Stefanos cos we’ve been before and it’s a bloomin’ gorgeous area. There’s beautiful white houses and pebbled beaches and tavernas so close to the sea that you can eat dinner whilst dipping your toes in the water.

Things to note about the villa: it had a panoramic view of the ocean, boats and Albania that was so sexy, I wanted to marry it. It basically had an infinity pool (yaaaas) that they’d put bars across to stop you falling out which kinda got in the way of the view (not so yaaaas). There was enough hot water for one person to have about half a shower a day so that was real great for a house designed for six.

There you go; a lowdown of the important stuff.

It was a lil slice of paradise, I’m not gonna lie.

We spent a lot of time soaking up the sun and eating Greek salad, baklava and kleftiko. Cos who needs a ‘beach body’ when there’s Greek food eh? I’m glad you agree cos one day, we did buy 21 euros worth of hummus and I wouldn’t want you to judge. Most evenings were spent eating three course meals in the same restaurant whilst stray cats, children and bloody enormous birds (the jury’s still out on whether they were ducks, geese or turkeys) wandered around the beach. I chased the stray cats a lot (love me you fools). I jumped in the pool, watched a couple of epic thunderstorms, drank wine every night and read books in one sitting. I watched G bond with my family which was cute at first but then like, okay you’re wearing the same shirt as my step-dad, stop now.

The third day could have been a disaster. We were woken up by some pretty epic thunder and rain bouncing off the swimming pool. But we kinda just went with it, taking a wander around the taverna’s, eating a lot of tapas and oh mumma, some pretty sexy custard pie. We took a lil walk around the Corfu coast, the rain cleared and, lol, my mum was wearing a fleece in the sun. Sure it left slightly cooler temperatures and a bit of cloud but that did nothing to the colour of the sea.

Have ya seen the sea in Corfu? It is so damn clear! My absolute favourite place to see the colours of the sea in Corfu is this nearly-always-empty pebbled cove which has a rickety little jetty. You can stand at the end of it, look down and see right to the bottom of the ocean through the transparent green and blue water *insert alllllll the heart emojis*.

We woke up to the awful news of the Manchester bombing on my sister’s 21st birthday. It was shocking and scary, and left us feeling like we almost shouldn’t have fun. But then it’s like the terrorist’s win? So we celebrated my baby gal’s 21st in style. We went to a gorgeous harbour taverna for lunch (did I mention the custard pie…?), we swam in the sea (well G and my fam did, I just kinda sat in it to cool down), we went out for an evening meal and the owner of the restaurant presented us with the most gorgeous chocolate mousse cake complete with 21st birthday candles and sparklers. I mean, the birthday girl couldn’t actually eat it (lol Greek’s did not understand veganism) but the rest of us enjoyed it…

I took my laptop with me with this idea that I would have all the inspiration and time for writing but, apart from the occasional hour here and there, it mostly remained untouched and I read books whilst eating crisps/ice cream instead. And that, quite frankly, was marvellous. I mean, sure, I’d have loved to have come back with several novel chapters written but I also just really enjoyed switching off for a while. One of my favourite things about these kind of holidays is that they always give me perspective. Switching off from reality for a few days, and talking at length with some of my favourite people allows my brain to relax, therefore see things clearer and come home with a better idea of what I want, or need to improve in life.

I don't really know how to finish this post so I'm just gonna tell you that I ate some form of pastry for every meal whilst I was there, and I have no regrets.

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Kate

A curious daydreamer in search of adventure and a good photo. Usually found googling travel destinations and trying to find the motivation to write my novel. Currently living in St Albans. Thanks for popping by, I hope you brought snacks.